By John Sarianides

The Patriots host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers today at Gillette Stadium. The two teams have split the previous six meetings. Carolina is 5-11 all time in franchise history against defending champions.

Here are five keys for the Patriots in this game.

1. The Defense Must Play Better: The defense needs to be better! PERIOD! They have been awful thus far, especially at home. They have surrendered 75 points in two home games. That’s unacceptable! They must be better today.

2. Contain Cam: The Patriots did a terrible job of containing Deshaun Watson last week. He broke contain consistently, and extended drives with his feet. The Patriots have to keep Newton in the pocket and not allow him to extend plays. Look for the Patriots to sugar rush or slow rush him.

3. Pass Pro: Tom Brady has been getting hit a lot thus far this season. Carolina gets good pressure out of their base fronts. The Patriots offensive line must play well. They cannot allow Julius Peppers and company to meet at Brady.

4. RUN THE FOOTBALL!! The Patriots couldn’t get anything going on the ground last week. Their running game has been non-existent thus far this season. They need to start running the ball better and it starts today. Run at Carolina’s defensive ends and slow them down. 

5. Field Position: The Patriots have been involved in tight games thus far. Games like this are all about field position. The Patriots need their special teams to put them in a position to succeed today. 

Final Thoughts: The Patriots need to get off to a good start today in all three phases of the game. They cannot fall behind again and chase points. They need to take control of this game early and carry the play. If they do, they will be fine.